Card-rack.



E. O. WILLIAMS.

CARD RACK.

APPLIOATION FILED 1:13.21, 1908.

909,498, Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST O. WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG'NOR TO PERFECTION CARD BACK COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CARD-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed February 21, 1908. Serial No. 417,133.

T 0 all 1117mm it may concern:

Be it known that I. ERNEST O. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Racks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in holders for illustrated post cards, and more particularly to those constructed of wire and adapted to be interlocked with and suspended from each other in a vertical string or chain.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved wire card holder of this character in which a number of postal cards or similar articles will be effectively supported in an operative position and from which they may be -quickly and easily removed.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a pers ective view of a group of my improved inter ocking holders; Fig. 2 is a front view of one of the holders; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the same.

In the drawings 1. denotes one of my improved card holders which I preferably con- StTUCl? of a single piece of wire of suitable length and size according to the size and weight of the cards or articles to be supported. The holder is constructed by bending the wire angularly at its center 2 to provide an upper central member or portion 3 having, at the ends of its upwardly and outwardly inclined arms, angular bends or seats 4, 5 which provide means of suspension for the holder. These seats 4, 5 are formed by bending the wire downwardly to provide vertical back retaining portions or members 6, 7 which are made angular or V-shaped by bending them inwardly at approximately their central points, as shown at 8. At the lower ends of the vertical back portions 6, 7 are formed forwardly extending bottom so.

orting portions or loops 9, 10 on which t 1e ower edges of the cards rest. From the bottom supporting portions or loops 9, 10 the ends of the wire are bent upwardly and inwardly to provide front retaining portions or members 11, 12, the upper extremities of which are coiled or otherwise suitably shaped to provide inwardly extending card engaging heads or projections 13. The bottom su porting portions 10 are disposed vertical y beneath the angular supporting bends or seats 4, 5 and the resilient front retaining portions or arms 11, 12 are disposed in substantially the same vertical planes and are inclined inwardly or rearwardly so that when the device is not in use the card engaging heads 13 will project into the vertical longitudinal plane of the back members 6, 7 of the device, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. The front retaining portions or'arms 11, 12 are preferably about half the height of the holder so that their heads 13 are disposed outside of and opposite the central angular bends 8 in the portions or members 6, 7.

In use, a plurality of the holders are interlocked with each other, as shown in Fig. 1, so that they may be suspended from the uppermost one which has its supporting bends 4, 5 engaged with nails or other fastenings on a vertical wall or support, or connected to the ends of a suspending cord or the like which will serve as a swivel that will enable the holders to be swung or turned angularly. The superposed holders are sup orted from each other by having their angu ar supporting bonds 4, 5 engage the bottom portions or loops 9, 10, as clearly illustrated. Owing to the angular shape of the upper central member 3, it will be seen that the holders will hang squarely from each other or from any other support. By making the back supporting portions or members 6, 7 of angular form and shaping the bottom portions 9, 10 and the front retaining ortions or members 11, 12, as set forth, it wi l be seen that cards may be readily inserted in the holders by bowing or bending the cards longitudinally to a slight extent and inserting their bottom edges between the heads 13 and the angular portions 8 of said members 6, 7, and that cards, when inserted in the holders, will be effectively retained therein but may be quickly and easily removed by simply pulling them upwardly.

The construction of the device is also such that it may be inexpensively produced and may be adapted for receiving cards of different sizes.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A holder of the character described formed from wire and having supporting bends or seats, back portions, bottom portions, and upwardly and inwardly extending front portions, said back portions being ofi set laterally at points intermediate their ends and opposite the front portions whereby the upper ends of the latter may spring into the vertical longitudinal. plane of said offset back portions for the pur ose set forth.

2. A holder of t e character described formed from wire and having supporting bends or seats, back portions, bottom portions, upwardly and inwardly extending resilient front portions and inwardly extendingcard' engaging heads at the upper ends of said front portions, said back portions being oifset laterally atpoints intermediate their ends and opposite said front portions whereby the heads of the latter may spring into thevertical. longitudinal plane of said. offset back portions for the purpose set forth..

3. A holder of the character described formed from. a single piece of wire bent angularly at its center to provide a V-shaped central member having at the ends of its diverging arms angular supporting bends or seats, back portions depending from the lat' ter and bent intermediate their ends whereby their intermediate parts will be offset, bottom supporting portions or loops at, the

scrib ed, each formed ofwire and having front and back portions united by bottom supporting portions, a central V-shaped' member between the upper ends of the back portions and having supporting bends or seats, and engaging heads upon the upper ends of the front portions, the latter extending inwardly, the tack portions being tent or offset to allow said heads to project into the vertical longitudinal plane of said back portions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 7 a In testimony whereof I" hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, ERNEST O. WILLIAMS. Witnesses: i. A. TWOHAY LnsoH,

THOMAS HARRISON. 

